The Freeze Frame of Everyone Running

Su Ji walked leisurely along the underground river's current.

The rushing waters perfectly masked the sound of his footsteps.

After traveling for roughly half an incense stick's worth of time, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

A massive underground cavern stretched before him, far more expansive than any he had encountered before.

Countless stalactites hung from the ceiling, and the air was thick with the pungent scent of sulfur.

Ahead, a dense crowd of shadowy figures had gathered.

Su Ji didn’t rush forward. Instead, he found a dark corner, concealing himself completely as he carefully observed the scene.

The crowd was sharply divided into two groups.

The majority were rogue cultivators—about a hundred of them—standing far on the outskirts, craning their necks with expressions of greed mixed with fear.

They formed a loose semicircle, their gazes locked onto the figures and objects at the center.

Within the inner circle stood Gu Ranran and her fellow disciples from the Joyous Union Sect.

Beside them were a handful of rogue cultivators—either the strongest and boldest among them or the weakest with nothing left to lose.

All their attention was fixed on a section of the cavern wall.

This part of the wall was unlike the surrounding rock.

At its center was a vertical, translucent crystal formation, narrowing from top to bottom like the trail of water slowly trickling down stone under gravity.

It pulsed rhythmically, glowing faintly before flaring brightly.

With each surge of light, a ripple of pure golden radiance spread outward, distorting the air like waves on water.

[Dragon’s Saliva Stone].

Su Ji recognized it almost instantly.

Though inwardly he wrinkled his nose at the thought of a rock touched by a dragon’s drool, he couldn’t deny the terrifying purity of the spiritual energy radiating from it.

This was undoubtedly a treasure.

Just as Su Ji was silently assessing the situation, the stone’s glow suddenly intensified.

Hummm—!

An indescribable, oppressive aura erupted from the [Dragon’s Saliva Stone], an invisible force blasting everyone back dozens of meters.

Even Gu Ranran, at the peak of Foundation Establishment, was forced to stagger several steps before barely steadying herself.

In an instant, a vast empty space had cleared around the stone.

The rogue cultivators gasped, their eyes burning with even greater fervor.

Some were probably already fantasizing about wielding the stone’s power, effortlessly repelling even a Foundation Establishment expert with a mere wave of their hand.

Gu Ranran ignored their reactions.

Once she regained her footing, her expression showed not fear but anticipation.

After exchanging a glance with her fellow disciples, the group of over a dozen moved in unison.

They retrieved pouches of foul-smelling crimson powder from their storage bags and began tracing intricate patterns on the ground in an esoteric formation.

Blood-red lines spread and intertwined across the cavern floor, quickly forming a vast, sinister diagram.

Su Ji narrowed his eyes.

Even he could tell this was a formation—though he was no expert.

If Su Jiu were here, she’d recognize it instantly as the notorious [Blood Sacrifice Soul-Burning Formation], a vile array that used living flesh and souls as offerings to forcibly break powerful seals.

Unfortunately, Su Jiu wasn’t present.

Su Ji might be illiterate when it came to formations, but he could read people.

Gu Ranran was making her move.

His gaze swept over the oblivious rogue cultivators on the outskirts.

He was no saint, here to save the suffering masses.

But one question nagged at him—

Wouldn’t the smarter play be to tie these people up before setting up the formation?

If it were him, he’d have done just that.

Otherwise, what if they realized something was wrong and scattered?

At that moment, Gu Ranran’s cool voice echoed through the cavern.

"Fellow Daoists, you’ve all seen it—this is the ancient treasure, [Dragon’s Saliva Stone]."

"Protected by an ancient seal, our Joyous Union Sect invites you to join us in breaking it and sharing the rewards."

She paused, her voice laced with persuasion.

"Shortly, I will activate the formation. All I ask is that you lend your spiritual energy by channeling it into the formation’s nodes."

"Once successful, the Joyous Union Sect promises that every participant will receive a [Dragon’s Saliva Pill], refined from the stone’s remnants. This pill allows Foundation Establishment cultivators to bypass bottlenecks and advance by one minor realm!"

The rogue cultivators erupted.

"Advance a whole minor realm?!"

"Is this true? Can we trust your word, Saintess Gu?"

They might not believe promises of sharing the stone itself, but pills made from scraps?

That, they could buy.

The Joyous Union Sect might have a shady reputation, but it was still a major neutral faction.

Surely they wouldn’t tarnish their name over this?

Tempted by the rewards, several stepped forward, their faces alight with greed, all caution forgotten.

Su Ji shook his head from the shadows.

This woman was even better at painting illusions than he was.

Gu Ranran nodded in satisfaction and pointed to several nodes at the formation’s center.

"Fellow Daoists, take your positions."

No sooner had she spoken than a dozen rogue cultivators rushed in, eagerly settling onto the designated spots.

Soon, all sixteen nodes were occupied.

They sat cross-legged, faces brimming with anticipation for the fortune about to descend upon them.

Gu Ranran’s flawless features finally betrayed a faint, icy smile as she observed the "offerings" in the formation.

With a series of hand seals, she activated the array.

The massive blood-red diagram beneath her feet flared to life.

Crimson light shot skyward, weaving into a vast net that enveloped the entire cavern.

"Zhen, Li, Kan, Dui—blood surges, souls unlock!"

Gu Ranran’s voice turned ethereal.

"Four Symbols align, Yin energy gathers!"

The sixteen seated cultivators shuddered violently.

An irresistible suction force erupted from beneath them, their spiritual energy pouring out uncontrollably, flowing along the bloody lines toward the formation’s core.

"Ah! My energy—!"

One screamed in terror, struggling uselessly against the invisible force pinning him down.

"Saintess Gu! What’s happening?!"

"Help! I don’t want to die!"

Panic spread like wildfire.

But their pleas were met only with Gu Ranran’s deepening frost.

"Qian, Kun, Gen, Xun—wind and thunder clash!"

"Eight Directions seal, bones rise as walls!"

The formation’s glow intensified, draining the cultivators’ energy at a visible rate.

Their screams grew more agonized.

Meanwhile, the remaining rogue cultivators on the outskirts were paralyzed with horror.

"Run! Get out now!"

"I knew those Joyous Union witches had more schemes than holes in their bodies!"

The crowd erupted into chaos instantly, as hundreds of rogue cultivators scattered like headless flies, desperately surging back the way they had come.

Yet, at that very moment—a sudden twist!

"Trying to ambush me?!"

"My Heavenly Mandate just happens to nullify all sacrificial arts from cultivators of the same realm—and reflect them back!"

"Let’s see how you like being sacrificed instead!"

With that furious roar, the fleeing figures of every cultivator froze in place.